Propulsion means for garden hose



Nov. 24, 1953 w. D. EGLY ETAL 2,660,471 PROPULSION MEANS FOR GARDEN HOSE Filed Jan. 14, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet l Mu MM 564 r C0 u/msua hffmeje/s INVENTORS ATTORNEYS Nov. 24, 1953 w. b. EGLY ETAL 2,660,471

' PROPULSION MEANS FOR GARDEN HOSE Filed Jan. 14, 1950 3 Sheets-sheaf 2 FIE-z z x q 2 *1 ,6? Z

, I XJ 2a W IF 1 E. 7

INVENTORS W/LLMM D. fan 5 6'0; Z/MBUS h/ flnee/s.

54* 70 I IE B T MYW ATTORNEYS Nov. 24, 1953 w. D. mu ET AL 2,660,471

PROPULSION MEANS FOR GARDEN HOSE Filed Jan. 14, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet '3 Mum/*7 Q 4%; Y 54 Gaza/ways k/bhee/s INVENTORS BY t! Patented Nov. 24, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE William D. Egly, South Bend andGolu'mbusW. Harris, Elkhart, Ind;

application rants-Ty 14, 1956;, serial 138,682-

so as to permit the watering of a. substantial area of garden or lawn.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which is operated by the flow of water under pressure to a discharge point through a flexible hose which is pulled toward; the device at a steady pace.

7 A further object is to provide-a device of this character having a water power motor operable to advance 'a hose gripping and pulling unit and capable of exerting a strong" pulling" action under conditions where the available water pressure is low;

A further object is to provide a device of this character having two water pressure responsive members connected by conduits and-valves in amanner to reciprocate step by step and alternately, wherein one of the members serves as a means to drive a power transmitter engageable with a garden hose.

Other objects will be apparent from the following specification.

In the drawings-e Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the device.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the" device.

Fig. 3' is a side view of the device.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the device taken on line l'l of- Fig. 2.

Fig; 5 is a schematic view illustratihg the water' pressure responsive members and the control valves in cross-section, and illustrating diagrammaticall y the connections between said parts;

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are schematic drawings illustrating the positions or the water reaetance members and valve members at difierent stages in a complete cycle of operation. I

Referring to the drawings which illustrate the preferred embodiment of the ihv'rlticn, the numeral ill designates a base or housing from which depends one or more ifnpaling' members or prongs I 2 fixedly secured thereto and adapted to be pressed into the ground to anchor the device in selected position and location. lfhe base may be of any form found suitable, and prefer ably has a plurality of passages" extending therethrough for how of water in predetermined direction. Couplings 14 are carried by" the base It] and communicate with said passagessaidcouplings serving as means'by which lengths of flexible garden hose ['6 may b'edetachably connected thereto forthe purpose of supplyin water thereto and discharging water thererrcm. one 6f these lengths of hose l6 win beelonga'ted and will constitute the discharge hose.

bers l8 and 29, each of which isp-rovi'ded with a Samara 12 2 terminating in a base flange 24 Secured to the baseill by bolts 'lfi. The standards 22 are preferably provided with passages which communicate with passages within the base Hi to establish communication between the water lines and the interiors of the casings; The chambered members F3 and '20 preferably have split housings which clamp therebetween the margins of flexible diaphragm members- 2 8- and 30, respectively; completely span said housings, dividing tneinillt two opposite coin-'- partm'en'ts'with each compartment of which e of saidpa'ssagescommunicates The diapli ag'm type of reciprocating pressure responsive mainber is illustra-tive and it will be understood that a deems-acting piston (Hbt shown) or other type of water reactan'ce member may be used if desired.

valve 32 is associated with the member'- and a valve 3'4 is associated with the member it. These valves" preferably have cylindrical housmg portions 360 f the character best seen in Fig. 5; and: are mount-ac with their axes positioned parallel to the path of reciprocation of the motor units B 20; The valve members are carried by the base Ill irr fi'xed relation thereto by any suitable means, here illustratedas conduits 38', Which serve to connect the ports of the valve with theliquibl passages in the base Ill.

Each of the diaphragm 28 and 35 has con; nectedi thereto. at its center a stem or rod ill which is sli'dable: in the housing l8 at 42; as through a packing gland or the like (not shown). The-rod Mlextends axially of the adjacenticylim olrical-v valve housing 36 entering the same through one end. with a slide fit at which may constitute a packing gland. The valve element or" spool 48. of each valve has an axial bore 48 into: which theistem' '40 projects. At its center the bore has a. circumferential flange or rib 50 projecting inwardly'an'd snugly and slidably' re cei vi-ng the stem 49.. An inner head member 52 mounted upon the rod 40 adapted to engage one end'surface'. of. the rib. 59, as illustrated at valve 32 in Fig. 5-. Spaced from the head 52 is a. second. head 54: also slidable freely within the bore 48 and adapted to. bear against the'opposite end surface of the circumferential rib 50, as illustratedin Fig. 5 at valve 34. The arrangeinent such. that the valve spoolsdlj are connected with the diaphragms 28 and 30, respectively, by 10st moticn connections.

aee sv'i Each valve spool has a circumferential externally grooved surface 56 preferably equispaced from its opposite ends, whereby circumferential flanges 58 are formed at the opposite ends or" each valve spool.

The valve cylinder 36 is provided with five ports spaced longitudinally, the same being the end ports so which are connected in communication with each other by a passage 62, a central port 64 which is preferably positioned equispaced from the opposite ends of the valve housing, and intermediate ports 66 and 68 which are spaced from the central port 64 a distance slight- 1y less than the width of the groove 55 of the spool and which are spaced from the adjacent end ports 513 a distance slightly greater than the width of the spool flange 58. The parts are so arranged that in the static positions of the spool valves, one of the end ports 68 will communicate with the adjacent one of the two intermediate ports 85, 58, while the other end port 8!! is completely closed, and the center port 64 communicates with the other of the two intermediate ports 66, 68.

The passages in the base I which extend between the couplings 14, together with the conduits 38 or passages which lead to the valves 32 and 34, are illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 5. The intake conduit 10 is shown as connected with the conduit 62- leading to the ports 60 of the valve 34 and being also serially connected through the conduit 12 with the similar ports and passages 80, 62 associated with the valve 32. A conduit 14 connects the center passages 64 of the two valves and continues to an outlet at 16. The intermediate port 66 of the valve 34 is connected by a passage 18 with the housing H3 at one side of the diaphragm 28 thereof, and a passage 85 connects the intermediate port 68 of the valve 3 with the housing I8 at the side of the diaphragm 28 opposite that with which the passage 18 communicates. A passage 82 establishes communication between the port 66 of the valve 32 and the chamber of member 20 at one side of the diaphragm 30, while the chamber at the other side of said diaphragm 30 is placed in communication with the port 68 of valve 32 by means of a conduit 84.

The parts are so arranged that, as illustrated in Figs. 5, 6, '7 and 8, an alternate successive operation of the two members I18 and 20 occurs.

Assuming that the parts of the device are in the position illustrated in Fig. 5, it will be apparent that water from the intake Z0 passes into the valve 34 through the port 50 and discharges therefrom through the port 68 and the passage 80 into the member I8 at the left hand side of the diaphragm 28. While this action occurs, water which is trapped within the device at the right-hand side of the diaphragm 28 is discharged through passage IB, port 66, and out through the center port 64 which is in communication with the port 66 through the groove 56 of the valve spool. The water exhausted from port as travels through passage i l to the outlet IS. It will be observed that the port 60 at the right-hand end of the valve 34 is closed at this time. The water entering at the inlet 70 also passes through conduit or passage 12 to the left-hand port fill of the valve 32 which is in communication with the adjacent port 66 and conduit 82 to discharge water into chamber 20 at the right-hand side of the diaphragm 30. The water which is displaced from the chamber 20 at the left of the diaphragm 30 is discharged through the conduit or passage 84, port 68, passes through the valve spool groove 56, and is discharged through port 64 to the discharge outlet i8. Note in each of these instances that one of the heads 52, 54 bears against the center rib of the spool and prevents the flow of water through the bore 48 of the spool.

As the flow of water continues while the parts are in the position illustrated in Fig. 5, the diaphragm of the member 20 will be shifted toward the left until it assumes the position illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 6. In this connection the initial movement of the diaphragm 36 will not act upon the spool 46 of the valve because of the lost motion connection. This lost motion connection is determined by the spacing between the heads 52 and 54. It will be apparent, however, that when the head 52 contacts the rib 5c of the spool, which will occur at an intermediate point in the stroke of the diaphragm 3%, the spool will be moved with the diaphragm 3G to a position wherein the central port 5-1 is placed in communication with the left intermediate port 68 and the right intermediate port 85 is placed in communication with the right-hand end port 60. When this action occurs, the flow of water to the member l8 will be reversed, the port 6 and passage 18 becoming the intake to the member l8, and the passage Bil and port 88 discharging to the port 64 and becoming the outlet from the member 18.

The reversal in flow causes the diaphragm 28 of he member I 8 to move to the left, which movement initially is characterized by lost motion with respect to the spool 18 of the valve 32. When that lost motion is taken up or concluded, the movement of the diaphragm 28 of the memher is will be efiective to move the valve element at to the left-hand end of its path of travel in the valve 32 so that the parts will be positioned as illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 'i'. In other words, the spool 46 of the valve 32 will then have established communication between the right-hand port 50 and the port 68 for intake and through the port 60 and the center port 64 for exhaust. Consequently, the intake of water to the member as at that stage will be through the port 63 and passage as, and the exhaust will be through the passage 82 and the ports 86 and 64, which will cause actuation of the diaphragm 30 from the position illustrated in Fig. '7 to the position illustrated in Fig. 8, which corresponds with the full line position illustrated in Fig. 5.

The assumption by the parts of the position illustrated in Fig. 8, wherein the valve 34 is positioned as illustrated in Fig. 5, again changes the control of flow to the member 18 to cause movement thereof toward the right as viewed in Fig. 5. Thus the operation of the parts successively to the positions shown in Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8, and back to the position illustrated in Fig. 5, constitutes one full cycle of the operation of the motor mechanism of the device. These operations continue under the inherent control provided by the system as long as a flow of water through the device continues.

One of the members It, 20, here shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 as the member [8, has a rod or shaft 98 projecting therefrom at the side opposite that from which the rod 40 projects, said rod 953 preferably being a substantial continuation of the rod 40. A packing gland or other suitable seal 92 provides for sealed sliding movement of the shaft 90 relative to the housing I8. Upon its attests;

The rame Qt he mem e pr ferably i e clu es. a brack or pl te port n a1- h ush; t: will; b nde st od tha a. suit b bracket or platemay be. secured to. the; base. It, instead; of: to the; member a It. A pair oi. haf s 8 and. .9.. xt n ng: n. par llel. rela ion to; each other and transversely to the; racki 9,4, and: he: a k n s carr e y he bracket 96... The lo er shaf t,99 preferably! mounts a roller or disc I whioh bears; against the; fiat bottom surface. of, theeear ack. 3 Th runper. sha t. 98, mo n sa mnlt leteda pinion. i0 2; which me h s-w t t e. sea 94., p nion. Minestroner lu ch ass a ed here ith as l trate irr F g; whic s rves to tra sm tothe. haitt h m eme .1? the rack 94 in one direction, but to have los motion. with reference. to; said shaft in. the; opposite d rection of m vem n The h 'niQn 1 has a central; bore therein; within which is rotatably. received a pinion I04 which is mounted. on the adjacent shaft 93 and spl nedthereto at I05; A radial opening at the mutilated portion of the pinion; I02 receives by screw-threaded connectionthe inner end of an elongated tube H18 which opens at; the bore withi whichthe pinion IIl I is. mounted. The; tube I08. slidably receives a plunger I-III; having-a; tapered end portion II2 so constructed. and arranged that th rotation of themember I0 2 to thele ft will cause the plunger to; slide over the successive gear teeth of the pinion I04 while reverse rotation will elTect a drivingeonnection between the parts. The. plun er H 01 preie ably nc d s a: r d d dimension stem portion I;I2 which. projects from the end ofthe sleeve II 0; through an aperture in a cap II I securfi uDOI Said, sleeve or tube and forming an abutment for the-outer end of a coil spring I I6 which encirclesthe stem H2 and bears at. its. inner end a ainstthe shoulder betwe n h plunger I I 0 and its stem I-I 2 'Iheshafts 98;and Bil-have pinions II 8 and I20, respectively, mounted thereon, which pinions mesh with one; another; A second bracket I22 spaced from thebra et 9.6-is carried by he.m m belt: l8, as illustrated, and the. shaft 93; exten s h r throu h asabest s en in. F 2, and m unts; upon. its" outer end. a. roller I24; This roller is pr ferably formed of softzrubber ofa; consistency and character, adapted to have a. substan i y nonrsliding grippin action upon, a; garden hose when pressed thereaga-inst. The; roller I24 has, a central. circumferential groove I26. of arcuate cross-sectional.configuration; and, as illustrated; has. at its: inner end a flange. I2.8Jof slightlysmall erdiameter than the flange I30 at itsv outer," end, The roller I24 has a non-rotating fit. uponthe shaft 99..

The. shaft 98 which mounts thepinion, I02. and the gear H8 preferably terminates in a knuckle portion I32 which cooperateswith a socket, part I34 to form. a. universal joint. The socket I34; is mounted upon a. stub shaft; I36. which; passes through an elongated; slot in-the bracket I221 to accommodate; movement toward and from the shaftQS. and theroller I 24. A roller I.3.8:prefe.rably of the same character and construction as the roller I24. is mounted upon the outerend of the stub shaft I36 in such position, that the grooves of said; rollers are adapted to receive and. position therethrough. a length of flexible garden hose.

In order to. apply spring. pressure upon the et 96; are. journaled in suitable;

shaft legend the roller I318 tending to; press-the roll r: I towa d th roller- I A. to e fec a frie iQIlfil. i h i li the hose L6 an elongated leaiv spr g. is utilized. The. leai spring, h s an emt portion; I -4.0 which: is; fixedlymountediat; M2; upon h bracket: 96.) and. projects ubstanti lly parallel to: thershait iii. The spring; po tion :0 merges with. a goosenech bend; I 4.4 whichextends around.- he rol er.- 38.- with cl ar nce said spring; ter nitiatin in an end ortion 1.46.. positionedradiah with; respe t to the flange I38, and anchored t th enter nd ct theistub sha t. I35 at. Hit in; a manner. to accommodate free; rotation: of he; s aft: I3 6; relative-to said-spring,

A. plate I50; is; positioned: substantially parallel. o'th p ate ilfi but spaced..th .ref.r0m and. havine nlarged ape tures; not. shown)? p ssin free y round the shafts: 9i3.- and. 9B,. A. cam I521. is mountedrctatably upon the shaft 99, andli re-o oeivediinl an opening in the plate I50 andserves. tov movethe Plate, I58..bodily. The. plate, has an aperture through which the spring. lei! extends so that endwisev movement of the plate I50, by the cam I52 serves to flex; the spring. I lii. a ma n r to apply pressure to the. roller. Haid -u ing a gripping action of the hose. lfi hetweenithe, rollers. I24:- and- I38. A handle I54 preiera'cly. proj ects from. the, cam.- to facilitate the rotation of; the cam, it bein lnderstoo d. that the. cam action is such that in one rotatiye.positionthere: of it will be thrown over center and. caused to lock the parts, in the sprin tension. app i position, while in. theother over center position it will hold the parts to space the; roller I33. from the roller- I24 sufliciently tofacilitate the insertion of hose. It. between the; rollers or the removal of the hose from said-rollers,

A- pawl 0r-- d tent' ltiiis. pivoted, to. thebracket 96 at I58 and is spring pressed; agains the gear lit. Th parts are; so arranged; and cooperate with e. o eay: utch illustrated-1 n F g. 4.- that: the gears will be held; stationary: while the one-way; clutchillustrated Fig; t is.inits;lost motion setting.

Itwill. be understood that. the construction here:illus trated is illustrative: only of one typeoi drive andthat, a double-acting, drive; insteadioi the. single acting-1 drive. here illustrated, can. be provided mounting upon; theshaft 99., in, place of her l r we. a s cond one-W y r vepinion mechanism of the typeillustrated in;E-'ig. 4, and by providing gear teeth uponthe bottomoi. the ra k .4 o mesh with said second one-way,- drive pinion. In other words, whereas-the construe: tion; illustrated. has a singleaction drive operative, only while the: rack 94 is travelin in. one, directiqn; 0f: its reciprocating movement, a twowaydrive maybe provided for transmitting dlfi-V! ing; rotation to the rollers I24 and I38- on both strokes; of. the rack.

It will be; apparent: that the hose from which thewater is discharged; and: which is, connected at: the coupling I4; with the discharge outlet; I5, is; passed; between the rollers I, I33, as illus: trated in Fig. 2, and that its free end portion. is then. positioned in the garden crunch the. lawn to be-Watered. Any suitable-sprinkler or, water distributor may be mounted upon the free end of; the hose.- The device itself is firmly fixedin selected p n y pressing the. impal ne pi s I2 into the ground, anda length of hose, is utilized to connect the coupling I4 associated with; the intake-I0 with a supply of water under pressure, such aswith a faucet. or a valve-connected. either with a city water main or with a pump When;

ever the water flows, it causes the device to operate in a manner to rotate the rollers I24, I38 and thereby pull upon the hose gripped therebetween. This pulls the water distributor toward the device at a slow rate of speed and causes the strip of garden or lawn, along which the discharge hose originally is laid, to be progressively watered. In other words, the water which is being distributed serves as the means to drive or power the machine as it flows from its source to the discharge point at the free end of the trailin hose which is being pulled upon by the device.

One of the primary values and important points of this device is that the device operates satisfactorily regardless of variations of pressure. The city water services in different communities operate at different pressures and also are subject at different seasons of the year to fluctuations in operating pressures varying with the rate of demand for water. Also the output of different pumps in farm water systems varies from place to place. This device will operate satisfactorily in all such locations regardless of such variations in rate of flow.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described herein, it will be understood that changes in the construction may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

We claim:

1. A propulsion device for garden hose comprising a base, ground impaling members carried by said base, a water reactance device, drive mechanism actuated by said water reactance device and including a pair of juxtaposed friction rollers both of which are driven by the water reactance device and adapted to grip a garden hose therebetween.

2. A propulsion device for garden hose comprising a base, ground impaling members carried by said base, a water reactance device, drive mechanism actuated by said water reactance device and including a pair of rotatable friction rollers adapted to grip and advance a garden hose, said water reactance device including a pair of chambered members each mounting a diaphragm, and water flow network including a pair of valve members each actuated by the diaphragm of one chambered member and serving to control the flow of water to and from the other chambered member.

3. A propulsion device for garden hose comprising a base, ground imp-aling members carried by said base, a water reactance device, drive mechanism actuated by said water reactance device and including a pair of rotatable friction rollers adapted to grip and advance a garden hose, said water reactance device including a reciprocating member, said drive mechanism including a rack carried by said reciprocating member and a pinion meshing with said rack, and a one-way clutch interposed in the drive connection between said pinion and said friction rollers.

4. A propulsion device for garden hose comprising a base, ground impaling members carried by said base, a water reactance device, drive mechanism actuated by said water reactance device and including a pair of rotatable friction rollers adapted to grip and advance a garden hose, said drive connection including a universal joint associated with one roller and a spring normally urging said roller toward the other roller.

5. A propulsion device for garden hose comprising a base, ground impaling members *carried by said base, a water reactance device, drive mechanism actuated by said water reactance device and including a pair of rotatable friction rollers adapted to grip and advance a garden hose, one of said rollers being shiftable toward and away from the other roller, a spring normally urging said shiitable roller toward the other roller, and cam actuated means for biasing said spring in either of two opposed directions.

6. In combination, a base, a pair of water pressure motors carried by said base, a pair of flow control valves carried by said base and each actuated by a motor, a network of liquid passages formed in part in said base and communicating with said motors and valves, each valve controlling flow in said network to and from the motor actuating the other valve, whereby said motors operate alternately, each motor operating in opposite directions upon successive actuations thereof, and drive mechanism responsive to one motor and including a pair of rollers for gripping a garden hose and rotatable for advancing said hose.

'7. Propulsion means for a flexible water conduit, comprising a base, a pair of water pressure motors carried by said base, a pair of flow control valves carried by said base and each actuated by a motor, a network of liquid passages formed in part in said base and communicating with said motors and valves, each valve controlling flow in said network to and from the motor actuating the other valve, whereby said motors operate alternately, each motor operating in opposite directions upon successive actuations thereof, and a pair of juxtaposed friction rollers rotated by one motor for gripping therebetween and advancing a flexible water conduit, and water conduits connected at the intake and outlet portions of said network, the conduit connected at said outlet being flexible to extend to and be gripped by said drive mechanism.

8. Propulsion means for a flexible water conduit, comprising a base, a pair of water pressure motors carried by said base, a pair of flow control valves carried by said base and each actuated by a motor, a network of liquid passages formed in part in said base and communicating with said motors and valves, each valve controlling flow in said network to and from the motor actuating the other valve, whereby said motors operate alternately, each motor operating in opposite directions upon successive actuations thereof, drive mechanism responsive to one motor and including a pair of juxtaposed driven rollers for gripping therebetween and advancing a flexible conduit, and an anchor member fixedly secured to and depending from said base.

9. Propulsion means for a flexible water conduit, comprising, a base having a plurality of interconnecting passages therein and an intake and an outlet, a pair of diaphragm motors each having a pair of said passages communicating therewith, a pair of flow control valves each having a plurality of said passages communicating therewith, each valve being actuated by one of said motors and serving to control the direction of flow of water to and from the other motor, and juxtaposed friction rollers rotated by at least one motor for gripping therebetween and advancing a flexible water conduit.

10. Propulsion means for a flexible water conduit, comprising, a base having a plurality of intercommunicating passages therein and an intake and an outlet, a flexible water conduit connected to said outlet, a pair of diaphragm motors each having a pair of said passages communicating therewith, a pair of flow control valves each having a plurality of said passages communicating therewith, each valve being actuated by one of said motors and serving to control the direction of flow of water to and from the other motor, a pair of juxtaposed friction rollers driven by at least one motor for gripping therebetween and advancing said flexible outlet conduit, and ground anchor means carried by said base.

11. Propulsion means for a flexible water conduit, comprising, a base having a plurality of intercommunicating passages therein and an intake and an outlet, a pair of diaphragm motors each having a pair of said passages communicating therewith, a pair of flow control valves each having a plurality of said passages communicating therewith, each valve being actuated by one of said motors and serving to control the direction of flow of water to and from the other motor, and juxtaposed rollers rotated by at least one motor for gripping therebetween and advancing a flexible water conduit, said flow control valves each constituting an elongated housing fixed relative to said base and having a plurality of longitudinally spaced ports and slidably receiving a valve element connected with the actuating motor thereof to control the flow of liquid to and from said ports and passages.

12. Propulsion means for a flexible water conduit, comprising, a base having a plurality of intercommunicating passages therein and an in- 10 take and an outlet, a flexible water conduit connected to said outlet, a pair of diaphragm motors each having a pair of said passages communicating therewith, a pair of flow control valves each having a plurality of said passages communicating therewith, each valve being actuated by one of said motors and serving to control the direction of flow of water to and from the other motor, and, juxtaposed rollers rotated by at least one motor for gripping and advancing a hose, said flow control valves each constituting an elongated housing mounted fixedlyon said base and having multiple longitudinally spaced ports and a spool slidable in said housing by the actuating motor thereof to control liquid flow between said ports and passages, each spool having a lost motion connection with the motor which actuates it.

13. A propulsion device for garden hose as defined in claim 1, and means resiliently urging one roller toward the other.

WILLIAM D. EGLY. COLUMBUS W. HARRIS.

References Cited in the file of this patent 

